Cheese compositions are generally prepared from dairy liquids by processes that include treating the liquid with a coagulating or clotting agent. The coagulating agent may be a curding enzyme, an acid, or a suitable bacterial culture. The coagulum or curd that results generally incorporates transformed casein, fats (including natural butter fat), and flavorings (especially those arising when bacterial cultures are used). The curd is usually separated from the whey and is then collected. The resulting liquid whey generally contains substantial portions of nutrients, including soluble proteins, mineral salts, and lactose. Normally these nutrients are lost in the manufacturing process. This inability of whey nutrients to be retained in the coagulum is an important factor contributing to inefficiencies in production of cheese curds, and to reductions in overall yield of protein solids from the starting dairy liquids. Therefore, there remains a need for more effective methods of improving the efficiency of nutrient incorporation during cheese production.
Cream cheese is an acidic (pH less than about 5), cultured or direct acidified, uncured cheese made of dairy components including a fat source (e.g., a mixture of cream and milk). Production of cream cheese normally produces whey which results in both nutrient loss and product inefficiencies similar to natural cheese production methods. Cream cheese is normally stored under refrigeration conditions (i.e., about 35 to about 45° F.) and typically has a smooth and butterlike body. At refrigeration temperatures, cream cheese can normally be sliced, but it is not soft or readily spreadable and cannot readily be applied to a soft or brittle substrate.
Texture modifiers or stabilizers such as neutral and/or non-ionic gums are commonly added during cream cheese processing after a culturing step to enhance the texture and creaminess and/or to control syneresis. The use of ionic gums in cream cheese processing before culturing or acidification as texture modifiers or stabilizers is not know in the art because of the tendency to develop texture defects (e.g., increased syneresis, grainy texture, etc.). The negative effect of such texture modifiers or stabilizer on cream cheese is though to arise by coacervation between the negatively charged gums (e.g., carrageenan) and positively charged proteins (e.g., casein).
Attempts have been made to develop processes for making wheyless cream cheese in which nutrients traditionally lost in the whey are retained in the cheese product. Ionic gums have been used for producing non-fat cream cheese-like products by added to preformed cheese curd. U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,604 (Jan. 19, 1993) relates to the production of a non-fat cream cheese using a two gum stabilizing system. Dry cottage cheese curd and emulsifying salts are added to a fermented skim milk retentate which is then heated with agitated to elevated temperatures. Non-fat dry milk is added at temperature of about 70 to about 150° F.; followed by xanthan gum at a temperature of about 140 to about 165° F.; finally carrageenan is added once the temperature reaches about 190° F. U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,704 (Mar. 16, 1999) provides a wheyless process for the production of cream cheese-like products. Stabilizers (e.g., locust bean gum, guar gum, xanthan gum, gum arabic, and the like) are added after fermentation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,773 (Apr. 28, 1992) provides a process for the production of a non-fat cream cheese product. Generally, the method includes combining a concentrated skim milk source with microcrystalline cellulose and subjecting the mixture to a microfluidizing treatment. The treated mixture is combined with skim milk curd and various gums in a series of steps to produce a non-fat cream cheese product that resembles a reduced fat or full fat cream cheese in texture, taste and mouthfeel. Gums used include xanthan, carrageenan, guar gum, carob bean gum, alginic acid and sodium and calcium salts thereof, gum arabic, gum tragacanth, carboxymethyl cellulose, and pectin.
Ionic gums have also been used to form dairy based gel products. U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,024 (Jan. 7, 1992) provides a method for making a non-fat process cream cheese product. A source of concentrated skim milk is heated with agitated to a first predetermined elevated temperature. An emulsifier salt is then added to the skim milk. After reaching the first predetermined elevated temperature, a first gum is added to the heated skim milk in the second mixer to provide a thickened skim milk. The thickened skim milk is then homogenized in a first homogenizing step, after which a bulking agent and a second gum are. The resulting homogenized, thickened skim milk is heated with agitated to a second predetermined temperature to provide a non-fat cream cheese precursor. The non-fat cream cheese precursor is then homogenized to provide a non-fat cream cheese type product. The first gum includes xanthan, guar gum, agar, carrageenan, gum arabic, gum tragacanth, alginates, locust bean gum, carboxymethyl cellulose, pectin, starches, modified starches, and mixtures thereof. The second gum includes xanthan, guar gum, agar, carrageenan, gum arabic, gum tragacanth, alginates, locust bean gum, carboxymethyl cellulose, pectins, starches, modified starches, and mixtures thereof. U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,841 (Nov. 27, 2001) describes a simplified process to make a cheese-like dairy gel from gums, starch, and dairy fluid which stimulates the texture of cream cheese.
However, cheese or cheese-like products produced by such processes typically do not have the body, texture, and/or taste desired in cream cheese. Therefore, there remains a need to develop processes for making cream cheese in which the cheese has body, texture, and taste similar to that found in cream cheese prepared by conventional processes (i.e., curds and whey processes). The current invention meets such longstanding needs in the art. For example, the current invention provides processes for producing cream cheese which result in significant productivity savings. Furthermore, the current invention provides processes for preparing wheyless cheese having improved firmness and the texture, body, and taste of conventional cream cheese. Finally, the current invention provides processes for producing cream cheese in which whey nutrients are not lost in the process.